The Los Angeles Chargers fell apart against the Texans on Saturday and lost their chance to win the ACF West Title. With only one more game on their regular season schedule, and some seeding scenarios still in play, this week still has some implications, but it will look a little different, as head coach Jim Harbaugh already relayed that quarterback Justin Herbert won’t be suiting up.
The Chargers did beat the Broncos in Week 3 and perhaps can keep that winning streak alive even with some backups in play. Here’s what to watch for.
How Backup Quarterback Trey Lance Performs
The Chargers still have some potential seeding scenarios to play for this week, but according to Eric Smith of Chargers.com, there’s a lot going on.
Smith relayed that there’s a chance for the Chargers to get the fifth seed, where they would play the winner of the AFC North, or stay in the sixth seed, where they would face the number three seed in the AFC, or even move down to the seventh, where they would play the second seed in the AFC, but it would take the outcomes of this next game plus the Texans and Bills’ matchups. So, though there are still things to play for in Week 18, there’s not as much at stake as last Saturday night.
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Given that, and the injury to Herbert’s non-throwing hand along with the makeshift offensive line, starting Lance makes sense. Because Lance was the second leading rusher of the Chargers in the preseason and because of the offensive line, we can most likely count on more quarterback runs during this matchup.
Lance looked good during preseason, clearly outperforming quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who was competing for the backup job in the offseason, so Sunday will be a good test to see how he handles extended regular-season game action under Harbaugh.
Can the Chargers’ Secondary Stop Explosive Plays From Broncos Wide Receiver Courtland Sutton?
A big play, like what happened in the first few drives of the Texans game on Saturday night, when Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud uncorked deep shots to rookie wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, on back-to-back drives, for touchdown receptions of 75 and 43 yards respectively, also happened in Week 3 to the Chargers against the Broncos.
On a fourth-and-2 during the second quarter, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw it deep for Sutton, who caught it in space, taking it all the way to the end zone for a 52-yard touchdown. The Chargers need to clamp down on these explosive plays, and in this next matchup in particular, really need to limit the targets to Sutton, who leads the Broncos in targets, receiving yards, receptions, and receiving touchdowns.
Because if they let the Broncos get ahead early, as the Texans did, the game is basically lost before it gets into the second half.
Although Smith reported that those plays against the Texans were the result of some “communication issues” by the Chargers’ defensive backs, regardless of the cause, the mistakes still occurred.
Safety Elijah Molden did have an interception later on in the Texans game, but hasn’t lived up to his 2024 production as he’s been battling multiple injuries, and can be seen chasing after Noel in that second Texans’ touchdown drive. Hopefully, the interception from Molden signals a turnaround, even if he doesn’t play this Sunday.
Others like cornerbacks Tarheeb Still, Cam Hart, and safeties Marcus Williams and Tony Jefferson, depending on who plays Sunday, will also be counted on to cover and contain Sutton.
How The Chargers’ Offensive Line Performs Against The Broncos’ Pass Rush
The Chargers’ offensive line struggled in the first meeting with the Broncos this season. Defensive lineman D.J. Jones ankle tackled Herbert as he ran out of the pocket in the first quarter. While Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper got around right tackle Trey Pipkins III to sack Herbert in the same drive where he was sacked by Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, who got around fullback Scott Matlock.
Overall, the Chargers earned their fourth-worst team pass blocking grade of the season (45.6) in that first matchup. And all of this was when the Chargers had offensive tackle Joe Alt still in the mix. Offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer, who was doing well for the Chargers at left tackle, didn’t even play this last game due to injury. And offensive lineman Bobby Hart, who played at left tackle on Saturday before being benched for Austin Deculus, struggled, as he was responsible for two sacks, when defensive edges Danielle Hunter and Derek Barnett each got around him at different times.
Hopefully, Salyer is healthy enough for at least the postseason, even if he doesn’t play in this matchup, because Herbert is going to need more protection. And it’s good that Lance will be out there instead of Herbert because Bonitto is only one sack away from matching his career high of 2024 (13.5), and with soft protection, he and others on this Broncos’ defense could easily turn this into a multi-sack game.
If The Chargers Can Get Out Of Their Own Way
The game against the Texans at times was causing whiplash, as one good thing would happen, then immediately be followed by something bad. On a third-and-12, Herbert had an absolute bomb of a deep shot to Johnston that he caught for a 60-yard reception. Afterward, Herbert threw the ball to tight end Oronde Gadsden II, and it bounced off his hands and into Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair’s.
Herbert was sacked during the second quarter by defensive end Denico Autry, but there was a personal foul for tripping, and instead of losing yards on the sack, the Chargers gained yards. And then Autry popped the ball out of Herbert’s hands on the next play, and Herbert had to scramble to recover it, causing a loss of seven.
Then, eventually, kicker Cameron Dicker missed the field goal in that same drive, so instead of inching closer to coming back, the Chargers didn’t come away with anything. In addition to missing a field goal, Dicker also missed an extra point after a touchdown by running back Omarion Hampton during the fourth quarter.
And on the last drive of the game, the one chance for the Chargers to get the ball back, on a third-and-9, linebacker Daiyan Henley managed to sack Stroud, but then there was illegal contact by Still, and the Texans were given a first down, ending the game. Some of these mistakes were self-inflicted, while others are the product of facing a good defense. And the Broncos defense, depending on how many starters they actually play in Week 18, is also good, so some of these same errors could resurface. Hopefully, the Chargers are able to play cleaner football in all phases, even if some backups are in.
If Kicker Cameron Dicker Can Get Right This Next Game
From the two big touchdowns by the Texans in the first few minutes of the game on Saturday, it seemed like everything was a little off with the Chargers, and unfortunately, the special teams unit wasn’t immune.
Punter J.K. Scott had some short punts, which resulted in good field position for the Texans. Dicker missed a field goal from 32 yards as well as an extra point, each at crucial moments. Especially for a kicker who has a 92.5% field goal percentage and is 3rd in total points in the league according to ESPN, missing those scoring opportunities was not on my bingo card.
Perhaps this was a fluke for Dicker, and the next game he’ll be back to his normal, super-accurate self. One can only hope, because the Chargers are really going to need him in this next game and beyond.